Community

The St. Anne's Community

The congregation of St. Anne's represents the neighbourhood (people living in or near the geographic parish boundaries), and the city (people who have identified with St. Anne’s, often through a connection to the arts). The congregation is diverse, representing a wide range in age, ethnicity, professions and points of view.

Mission Statement

We are a welcoming community of Anglican Christians who gather at historic St. Anne's Church to worship God richly through liturgy, music and the arts. We are committed to openness, justice and loving our neighbour. Individually and together in ministry, we strive to grow into our Spirit-given potential to embody Christ's healing purpose for the world.

Vibrant Community Life

The St. Anne's congregation has a vibrant community life. In addition to worship, we come together for gardening days, bible studies, worship field trips to other churches, hikes, trips to art galleries. Our excursions typically include eating together, often a picnic, barbeque or pub. New and longstanding members of the St. Anne's community blend easily and get to know each other on these occasions. Events that build community at St. Anne's are so frequent that the Events page on this website helps keep us organized.

Serving to Make a Difference

Community Dinner preparations begin on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

On one Sunday of each month, the St. Anne’s congregation prepares, cooks and serves a Community Dinner to those in need. Volunteers begin in the early afternoon peeling vegetables and setting up tables. They are joined by more people who assist with serving dinner and cleaning up. We take pride in serving a meal as wonderful as the best Sunday Dinner in our own homes. A brief worship service with communion and anointing for healing is offered at the conclusion of dinner.

The Great Outdoors

Hike with us. Garden with us. Participate in a Forest Eucharist. We encourage a strong sense of community at St. Anne's. Our events include excursions to hikes, art walks, worship field trips to churches and temples, study evenings. See the events calendar for upcoming activities.

Children and Youth

In addition to Sunday School and the Youth Bible Study, children are part of all community events, joining us on hikes, planting the garden, reading the scriptures and presenting liturgical drama in Sunday worship, and serving the Community Dinner. Youth Brunch is always a favourite - after worship, we walk together to a local restaurant, with children and youth accompanied by their families and friends. Watch for it on our events calendar.

Same-Gender Blessings

Following a year-long discernment process of study, prayer, and discussion, we are pleased to announce that St. Anne's now has permission from the Archbishop to celebrate and bless the relationships of same-gender couples. We do so according to the guidelines of the Diocese of Toronto, for members (and those intending to be members) of our community. If you are interested in exploring the blessing of your relationship, please see the section of our website on Worship Rites of Passage.

Our understanding of community has grown through this discernment process - we have clarified that the way we build community at St. Anne's is about "Beautiful Friendship with God and All God's People." We are pleased to welcome the LGBTQ community to St. Anne's, and we look forward to meeting you.

Representing St. Anne's inclusive welcome at the Pride Parade

Commitment to our Neighbourhood

St. Anne’s is an Anglican parish church of the Diocese of Toronto, and the mother church to several other West Toronto churches. Following the Anglican practice, St. Anne’s is committed to pray and work for the well-being of all people living and working within the geographic parish boundaries - please see the map. On St. Anne's Day, which we celebrate in late June, we explore our community to connect with our neighbours and be more informed in our prayers. How well do you know our neigbhourhood? Try the Geographic Parish Scavenger Hunt, a bicycle tour on our Downloads Page.Click here for the St. Anne's Day photo album.